Parliamentry Reform and the Great Reform Act 1832

Question 1

What percentage of the population could vote before 1832?

Answer 1

Less than 13%

Question 2

Could everyone who had the vote use it?

Answer 2

No many elections were uncontested

Question 3

When did Christopher Wyvill found the Yorkshire Association?

Answer 3

1780

Question 4

How many counties did county associations spread to?

Answer 4

12

Question 5

What influence did religion have on desire for reform?

Answer 5

Desire to promote good causes such as prison reform and the abolition of the slave trade

Wanted to reform aspects of public life

Question 6

What did Wyvill call for?

Why did the County associations fail?

Answer 6

Annual general elections. This would curb corruption

Also wanted another 100 MPs from the counties

Eventually failed as they were worried by the Gordon Riots

Pitt owes election to county associations as they recognised his honesty

This was a forerunner of other reform movements

Question 7

What different strands of people called for Parliamentary reform?

Answer 7

Moralists (e.g. Richard Price)

Philosophical radicals following Jeremy Bentham

Ideas of Major John Cartwright (golden age before 1066) he exchanged ideas with Wyvill

Radicals who wanted universal male suffrage (Henry Hunt)

More modest Political Radicals like Sir Francis Burdett tried to link to Whigs. Others called for owners of property to have voting rights

Question 8

When was the Society of the Friends of the people set up?

Answer 8

1792

Group of Whigs including Grey

Took up idea of annual parliaments

Fox didn’t approve, didn’t want to upset elder statesmen

Disbanded in 1793

Question 9

What overseas things influences parliamentary reform?

Answer 9

French Revolution

American Revolution

Question 10

When was he Birmingham political Union set up?

Answer 10

1830

Question 11

When did Pitt introduce a parliamentary reform bill?

Answer 11

1875

Wanted to redistribute 72 seats

Defeated

Pitt doesn’t take the issue up again and fails

Question 12

When was Henry Flood’s reform Bill?

Answer 12

1790

Little support fails

Question 13

What were the differences between Whig and Tory ideas of reform?

Answer 13

Whigs- reform would stop radicalism

Tories- reform would encourage radicalism

Question 14

When did Grey propose a reform bill early on?

Answer 14

1793

Question 15

Which party wanted to give industrial cities more seats??

Answer 15

The Whigs

Question 16

Why were Swing riots important?

Answer 16

1830-31

Rural labourers no longer loyal and docile but threatening

Influenced by radical publications they called for reform of Parliament

2,000 arrested, 19 hanged

Swing riots showed the danger of unrest and increasing numbers of MPs thought it would be unwise to delay reform

Question 17

Which cities had riots and unrest in 1831?

Answer 17

Bristol Riots

Nottingham unrest- Nottingham Castle is burnt down

This was caused by Lords rejecting the reform bill

Question 18

How many seats were redistributed after 1832?

Answer 18

143

Question 19

Which areas gained more MPs after 1832?

Answer 19

The Counties (65 extra)

Large towns like Birmingham and Manchester

Scotland and Ireland

Question 20

What percentage of people voted in 1831, what about 1833?

Answer 20

1831 5% of adults

1833 7% of Adults

Question 21

What didn’t change in the 1832 reform act?

Answer 21

No secret ballot

MPs still not paid (difficult for poor men to become MPs)

Plural voting

House of Lords had no reform

Voting still based on property

Question 22

Did the act bring more power to the people?

Answer 22

Whigs were actually dominated by aristocrats

Tories had more poor people. Canning was the son of an actress

Some buying and selling of seats continued

Question 23

What was Blandford’s bill?

Answer 23

It was a bill for Parliamentary reform, this stirred up agitation in the Tories.